Delhi Court To Hear J&K MP Engineer Rashid's Bail Plea In Terror Funding Case On Wednesday

Rashid, who is in Tihar jail in a terror funding case was released on bail in September for campaigning in the J&K Assembly Elections.

New Delhi: Delhi's Patiala House Court will on Wednesday pronounce its verdict on the regular bail plea of Jammu Kashmir terror funding case accused and Baramulla MP Rashid Engineer. Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jeet Singh will pronounce the verdict.

The Patiala House Court had said on 13 November that the case registered against Rashid Engineer can be transferred to the MP-MLA court. The court had said that the accused has become an MP, so it will consider on 20 November whether the case should be transferred to the MP-MLA court or not.

Rashid was granted interim bail on September 10 by the court to participate in the election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, which was then extended twice, the latest on 2 October. The Baramulla MP surrendered in Tihar Jail on 28 October when the bail expired. On September 10, the Patiala House Court granted interim bail to Rashid till October 2.

Rashid won the Lok Sabha election 2024 by defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by about one lakh votes on the Baramulla seat. Rashid was arrested by the NIA in 2016. On March 16, 2022, the Patiala House Court had ordered framing of charges against Rashid besides Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin, Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Masrat Alam, Zahoor Ahmed Watali, Bitta Karate, Aftab Ahmed Shah, Avtar Ahmed Shah, Naeem Khan, Bashir Ahmed Butt alias Peer Saifullah and others.

According to the NIA, organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, JKLF, Jaish-e-Mohammed, with the support of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, carried out attacks and violence on civilians and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. In 1993, the All Party Hurriyat Conference was established to carry out separatist activities, the NIA said.

According to the NIA, Hafiz Saeed, along with the leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, transacted funds through hawala and other channels to carry out terrorist activities. They used this money to spread unrest in the valley, attack security forces, burn schools and damage public property, the probe agency added.